As a big Sarah Maclean fan, I was so excited for this contemporary story from her—and it did not disappoint. The characters are sharply drawn and by the end of it, you can't help rooting for them all, plus the mystery is compelling! The perfect summer read—sexy, fun, and a little dangerous.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced reader copy.

Alice Storm has tried to run from her family for the last five years, ever since her father--the culture changing tech billionaire Franklin Storm kicked her out--but now she's headed home. Franklin has died and Alice feels compelled to go back and mourn the man who she both loved and hated (and to maybe rebuild some bridges with her siblings). Instead, once she's on the family's New England island house she finds out that her game-playing father has one last game in mind for his family, requiring them each to do very hard things in order to receive their share of the inheritance. For Alice it means having to stay in the house, on the island, with her family, for an entire week. And the person who'll oversee whether everyone achieves their goals? Jack Dean, her father's right-hand man...and also the stranger that Alice slept with the night before she showed up at the house.

I've never read a Sarah MacLean book (I'm not into historical romance), but I love her podcast Fated Mates, so I was excited to see what she'd do with a contemporary setting. While this book isn't technically a romance, there are lots of romantic elements and some spicy sex scenes. The bulk of the story centers around Alice, who is a compelling character to follow--as the only Storm sibling to walk away from the family (after being kicked out by her dad, Alice moves out of the apartment he was paying for, gets a regular job, and doesn't speak to any of her family members). MacLean did a great job of balancing Alice's anger about being thrown away by her family with her deep desire for them to want her back in their lives. And Jack is an enigmatic character, whose allegiance isn't clear for a long time, giving a little mystery to the story. This was a great read and I'm looking forward to the next contemporary that MacLean writes.

These Summer Storms is out July 8, 2025.

Reading this book was like watching a fun, romantic, bingeable Netflix series. I couldn't put it down, and when I did, I yearned to jump back into the world with these characters. Sarah writes the complicated romance between Alice and Jack with so much passion and tension, and the siblings dynamics with such honesty and ease. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

When a billionaire father passes away, he leaves his family with last things they must do for him. As they struggle with their assignments they all start to come together and grow.

Wow, These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean is an absolute whirlwind of passion, adventure, and heart—and I loved every single page! From the first chapter, I was hooked by the magnetic chemistry between the characters, and MacLean’s signature witty, lush prose kept me fiercely captivated. Set against the backdrop of sun-drenched landscapes and simmering secrets, this story brilliantly balances intense emotional depth with swoon-worthy moments. The sparks fly, the tension crackles, and you’ll find yourself rooting for these characters’ happily-ever-after from start to finish. MacLean crafts her characters with such flair—you can’t help but feel their joys, sorrows, and stolen glances as if they’re your own. If you’re craving a summer escape filled with romance, adventure, and enough heat to melt your sunglasses—this book is it. I honestly didn’t want it to end! Five stars for a read that’s as heartwarming as it is exciting—Sarah MacLean has outdone herself!

Sarah MacLean has written THE book for summer!

I’m so glad that Sarah embraced this contemporary romance story that was percolating in her head even though she’s known for her historical romance. It would be a tragedy if this book didn’t come to pass because it was such an epic page turner about a pretty neurotic family with characters you feel sorry for one minute and then want to bitch slap the next. She weaves together chapters from each adult child’s point of view with a really amazing romance that despite being pretty quick (we are talking one week) felt like a really hot slow burn. How she did this all in one book about a dead billionaire pulling the strings from the grave is why Sarah is an incredible author.

The story begins with Alice, a woman who hasn’t been home in over 5 years since an epic falling out with her father who just passed away. Because of his death, she returns to their estate on a private island in Rhode Island where she, her siblings and mother are thrust into one of their father’s infamous “games” in order to earn their inheritance from the eccentric billionaire.

From there you learn about Alice’s siblings who are all dealing with their own issues from being a part of this wealthy and prominent family. Tasks are assigned, truths are unearthed and secrets are revealed all under the watchful eye of their father’s second in command.

This book totally gave me Knives Out vibes (given the eccentric family and their desire for their inheritance) so if you liked that movie this will totally be up your alley.

This book will also appeal to those who like women’s fiction, romance and suspense because it weaves in all three. I am first and foremost a romance reader and I can say that the romance thread throughout was chef's kiss! The chemistry between Alice and Jack was soooo perfect – I loved their story and was so glad that she didn’t abandon her roots because Sarah can write romance.

This is the perfect beach read for the summer and one that I can see easily being made into a TV series. I’m all for it.

*I received an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Romance author Sarah MacLean has a way with family drama, and her skill is set off to its best advantage with These Summer Storms. The Storm family is fabulously wealthy and fabulously messy. Alice hasn't been home in five years, not since her father told her to get off his island. She's been successfully making her way in the world without access to the family fortune. But news of her father's sudden death in a glider accident catapults her back to Storm island and her father's final toxic master stroke. The family must compete for their inheritance, and if she doesn't play no one wins. With deft characterization, subtle social commentary, and a dash of romance, These Summer Storms shows us a storyteller at the top of her game.

Lots of genre tropes done to good effect - the forced familial proximity; the patriarch manipulating his children from the great beyond; family secrets peeled back one layer at a time; a massive literal storm bearing down on them.

I only wished there had been a little more triumph for the kids at the end of it all. Franklin absolutely stole the show as the most vivid character, and he was dead the whole time.

Ooooh this one was delicious!

I wish I had read this sitting poolside instead of laying in bed in a Mucinex-induced haze. It's the perfect summer read: indulgent and dramatic. It's rich people being messy on a private island, but also with romance! And mystery! And boats!

I adore Sarah Maclean and have read most of her backlog, so I was so excited to get my hands on her contemporary fiction debut. This has a good balance of complex characters (lots of morally gray relatives), an intriguing plot and a solid love interest (to be clear, I wouldn't shelve this as a 'romance').

Highly, highly recommend! Giving it a 4.25/5.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

3.75 Stars

A story of grief, love, and deeply dysfunctional family, These Summer Storms took a couple chapters to fully catch my attention, but, once it hooked me, I didn't want to put it down. The Storms don't quite know how to love without hurting each other. They don't trust love and estranged Alice Storm is no exception. She certainly doesn't trust the too-attractive embodiment of her late father's will, Jack Dean, who keeps popping when all she wants is for him to go away. Trapped together on Storm Island by one final game that seems impossible to truly win, Alice and the Storms are forced to confront the hurts of the past and all the secrets they'd like to keep hidden. But secrets have a way of spilling on Storm Island and Jack keeps turning out to be more than the box Alice would like to keep him in.

While some of the confrontations felt a little manufactured, overall These Summer Storms was fun to read and a great way to spend a couple of hours!

I love a romance novel...but a romance novel with a really great plotline and a twist?!? Yes, please!!! I love Alice and Jack. I love the sneaky way their characters are intertwined. It's just so good that I honestly couldn't put it down. I read it in two days. It probably would have been one if I hadn't had this annoying thing called a job, but it is what it is. The author did such a great job at painting the beautiful, complicated, and evolving relationship between Alice and Jack. I just loved this book. Cover A+ Title A+ Plot A+ Ending A+. I never like to give away spoilers so that's about all I can say for now.

This book pulled me in from chapter 1!
The focus is on the Storm family returning to the summer home on their family island- after the patriarch passes away. Yes family ISLAND, because they belong to the Tech billionaire Storms. So while the majority arrived by helicopter, we meet Alice taking the train. We don’t know why, but we soon learn Alice has been estranged from the entire family for 5 years. And now she’s only headed home because her larger-than-life father has passed away.
Alice meets a serious and interesting man on the train, and decides to spend the night with him. She has no idea who he is and believes she’s a stranger to him as well. When he shows up at the family home on Storm Island the next day, things get a little tense. Especially when she finds out he’s in charge of the inheritance each Storm will receive and the only way to get it, is if each of them completes a task. The siblings engage inheritance games, all the while barely being able to stand one another’s company. Can they survive the week, and do they even want to?
Filled with secrets, deceit, grief, and growth- the story unravels beautifully. There is also a bit of romance. The connection was magnetic, but more on the forbidden love side of things.

Although the story focused mainly on Alice, it was nice to get a glimpse into the background of the other siblings and see their growth along the way.

3.5 stars

I’m a huge Sarah MacLean fan and love her historical romance books. When I saw that she had a new book coming up, I was so excited to read it. I knew going in that this would be different than her historical romances because it was contemporary, but I wasn’t expecting how different. I thought this would be more like a contemporary romance; however, I would categorize it more as a women’s fiction novel with lots of family drama.

If you are looking for a book that has a billionaire family where someone dies and makes the family play an ‘inheritance game’ then this book is for you. Honestly, I think there was too much emphasis that this was a game because there wasn’t much to it. Mainly the characters all had to compete some tasks. There was just so much family drama. Like the entire book was more family drama than anything else. Yes, there was a little bit of romance, but it wasn’t as developed as her regular historical romance books.

While I fully support authors trying new genres, I just felt like this book was way too long for what it was. I feel like so many historical romance authors are switching genres because publishers aren’t considering their books and that just makes me sad. Please bring back my favorite historical romance books!

There was character development, so that was good. The book was more character driven than plot driven. And I did think Sarah MacLean writing style was great and very descriptive. The story itself was good, even though it was too long. I think if I would have gone in thinking this was a family drama Women’s fiction book, I might have enjoyed it more.

Yes, I have been waiting for this book since I heard about it in 2024. Yes, it’s everything I hoped for in a beach read, despite having read it in January. It’s got what I crave: messy rich people, messy family dynamics, messy romantic tension. (Insert “I love mess” gif here)

Alice grew up in a seemingly idyllic world– the daughter of a billionaire, living on a private island, with a beautiful family and a world-famous business and legacy awaiting her. But when her father dies, she’s forced to return to the island, where he’s left one final demand for the family: complete a game, or lose their fortune. Trapped with her brittle mother, her people-pleaser eldest sister, her bitter brother, and their younger, beloved sister on the island that held their best and worst memories, the Storm family is forced to confront their secrets and faults. Worst of all, it’s being overseen by the man Alice had a one-night stand with on her journey home.

This book is SO MESSY IN THE BEST WAY. There’s private helicopters and family infighting, there’s heads of state and family secrets, there’s trysts and beaches and the ever-present question “should billionaires exist?”. The socio-economic consequences of billionaires aren’t avoided in this, Alice returns to this question over and over again, which I appreciate in a world where billionaires have no guardrails.

Absolutely will recommend this to anyone who wants something to fill the Elin Hilderbrand beach read hole in their summer plans, as well as fans of Emily Henry and people who love wealthy messes.

A dysfunctional family, with a mix of inheritance games, and unexpected romance.

The Storm family has a private island off the Rhode Island coast, and Alice Storm, considered the rebellious daughter of a wealthy tech tycoon finally returns after 5 long years of estrangement from all her family, for her father’s funeral. Soon she finds out her father made a “clause” requiring a week-long inheritance challenge alongside her manipulative mother and competitive siblings.

Everyone must complete what task they were assigned or everyone loses everything. But for Alice, the biggest challenge isn’t the game—it’s surviving the emotional turmoil of her family and resisting her attraction to Jack Dean, her father’s enigmatic right-hand man.

A fast-paced read for fans of crazy, complex family saga that includes a slow-burn romance.

☔️ Book Review ☔️

I have been a Sarah MacLean fan for years so These Summer Storms was a highly anticipated read. And yup, it was excellent.

✔️ Family drama
✔️ Forced proximity
✔️ Secret identity
✔️One Night Stand

This book has Succession meets Inheritance Games vibes. It's about a millionaire family coming back together to the family island due to the patriarch's death. Alice is the prodigal daughter, back after years of estrangement. It's complicated with her mom and her siblings. And she has to deal with her dad's right hand man, Jack, who is there ti make sure his boss' last wishes are honored. Wishes that the inheritees have to accomplish in order to inherit. There's a lot of unresolved family tension, but of course my favorite parts were the romantic tension between Alice and Jack.

There were plenty of romantic moments and romance beats in this one, but it did read more like a women's fiction book to me. The relationship between the romantic MCs was the secondary plot point while the family stuff took center stage. Don't get me wrong, this book was great! I'm just saying don't expect a pure romance.

I loved the plot and the complicated family dynamics. It was paced well and the ending was perfection. It wasn't really big on the feels for me, but I still had a great time reading. 5⭐️ - this one pubs on July 8! Thanks to @ballentine and @netgalley for the ebook.

Steam 🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

I have loved Sarah MacLean for years, so I was excited to preview this Contemporary book from her. I was pulled into the story from the beginning and remained caught up until the last page! This book has everything: a dysfunctional family, romance, and second chances. It receives a big YES from me! 4-1/2 Stars

I received an ARC for free and gave my honest opinion voluntarily.

This one felt a little sad to me. The level of dysfunction in the family, in addition to the grief, was just sad to contemplate. However, overall, I enjoyed the book and it was a quick read. Most would find a way to relate to the characters. Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced eARC.

These Summer Storms is a delightful summer romance with a lot of family drama woven in. Alice Storm is headed to her family's private island for the first time in five years. Her father Franklin Storm, the billionaire, world-famous developer of major tech (think along the lines of Steve job), has died in a freak accident. Alice hasn't spoken to Franklin, or her mother or siblings, in that time period. We don't know exactly why (it comes out), but Alice has opted to work as a teacher and string things together like the rest of us.

Upon arriving on Storm Island, the reader immediately gets a sense of why Alice has left. Her mother, Elisabeth, is ice cold. Her siblings are vapid, concerned with the inheritance, and out of touch with reality (with the exception of Alice's youngest sister, Emily, who is a hippie-dippy crystal healer).

Franklin's right-hand man, Jack Dean, arrives on the island with letters for each Storm. Those letters include detailed instructions on how each Storm can become eligible for their inheritance or... how they can abdicate it all.

These Summer Storms is often funny. I loved the characters and the writing style. Despite some really low lows in how the family treats each other, there is a general undercurrent of love. Each sibling gets highlighted at some point, although the story mainly revolves around Alice and her complicated relationships with each family member. And, of course, her falling in love with Jack Dean.

Personally, I loved that this takes place in Rhode Island, my state of residence, and includes some quirky history about Wickford, where I used to live.

My only complaint, yielding this 4 stars instead of 5, is that this book felt longer than necessary. I think 20% could have been cut without any impact to the story. Highly recommended. I will definitely read Sarah MacLean again (she's prolific, but this is my first of her novels!).

Great quote:
“Greta did not reply to the obvious swipe at her weight—the Waspy mother’s weapon of choice since Martin Luther took a hammer to a church door.”

I enjoyed this one - a little like Succession. A dysfunctional family with an absurdly out of touch mother and 4 siblings left to navigate grief after their father's death while he continues to manipulate them with his billions. I found the constant word play of their last name Storm to be distracting and a bit overdone. A quick and interesting read.